Michael Strahan Has One Diet Rule and It’s Actually Quite Genius

Mega TV personality Michael Strahan might have a Super Bowl ring and a Magic Mike movie under his belt, but he’s also human—in the presence of peanut M&Ms, he has a really hard time saying no. But at an event for Meta Appetite Control, a fiber supplement that helps curb temptations, Strahan shares that you actually can eat those M&Ms and still stay in shape—it just comes down to following one key rule.

“I follow the 80/20 rule,” says Strahan. “I’m a big believer in eating clean 80 percent of the time—eating right and what’s good, but for 20 percent of the time—I like ice cream, I like peanut M&M’s. I like all that stuff. But you know, 80/20 is what I keep in mind when it comes to eating and staying on track, especially during the summer, which is probably tough for anybody.”

Strahan’s trainer La Mitchell, however, was quick to jump in with a huge caveat. “Most people are definitely not eating at a 80/20 pace. Most people eat healthy 20 percent of the time, and 80 percent of the time they’re eating junk and don’t realize it. You want to make sure that you’re putting the right things in your body. Make your own smoothies, have your apples and almonds sliced up and ready to go. It’s about being prepared all the time. Just eating a salad yesterday, does not count as being healthy.”

Neither Strahan or Mitchell believes in depriving yourself—just making better choices. And that applies to alcohol as well.

“When they called me to do Magic Mike, I was like, OK I really have to do this. I don’t want to look like the stripper they send out at the end of the night—the guy who sends everybody home!” Strahan reveals. “La took me off diary and sugar, but when she tried to take me off alcohol, I was like I need a little something-something here.”

The compromise? Tequila, soda and no sugary mixers. “You know those bottomless mimosas at Sunday brunch? Skip the nice and go straight to the good stuff,” laughs Mitchell.

Eating healthy may lead you to believe that your body is internally balanced. But, since we live such high-paced and stressful lives, more times than not, the first “healthy” food that we see is what we end up consuming, when in reality your meal may be full of empty calories and unneeded fat and carbohydrates. Could the healthy foods that you think are good for you really be nothing more than hype?